India and Greece on Wednesday here reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral ties and agreed to firm up a migration and mobility agreement soon, besides ramping up their overall cooperation in the areas of trade, defence production and to combat terrorism.
These were the main takeaways from the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Expansion of the overall strategic cooperation figured prominently during extensive talks between the two leaders. Mitsotakis is on a two-day visit to India. It is the first visit to India by a head of state of Greece in 15 years.
India and Greece have common concerns and priorities in the fight against terrorism, Modi said in his media statement. “We discussed in detail how to further strengthen our cooperation in combating terrorism,” he added.
The prime minister said the growing cooperation between India and Greece in defence and security reflects the deep mutual trust between the two sides.
We discussed early firming up of the migration and mobility partnership as well, he said. New opportunities are opening up in defence manufacturing in India, which can be beneficial to both countries, Modi said. “We agree that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” he added.
Modi welcomed Greece’s active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific. “We deliberated extensively on expanding the India-Greece cooperation in the agriculture sector,” he said.
The strategic partnership between India and Greece is of “particular” importance and further expansion of their overall ties with a focus on economic engagement is being explored, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.
“For Greece, the strategic partnership between our two countries is of particular importance and we will have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics including on strategic partnership, and fostering our economic engagement,” he told reporters.
Mitsotakis was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Greek prime minister began his India visit this morning by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
In the morning, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Greek prime minister. “Delighted to call on Prime Minister @kmitsotakis of Greece today. Valued his commitment to enhancing India-Greece ties. Look forward to the strengthening of our strategic partnership,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’. India-Greece relations were elevated to a ‘strategic partnership’ during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece in August last year.
